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ASU student's family prepares for funeral, memorial service

The Republic | azcentral.com
Published 3:43 p.m. MT July 24, 2014

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Friends and family say 25-year-old Max Mendoza was found dead in a ravine in Brazil.

Max Mendoza sent this picture from Brazil to his family shortly before his death.(Photo: Mendoza family)

When Jahaziel Linare received emails from the U.S. Consulate in Brazillast Friday about an emergency, he thought it was a scam. Linare immediately messaged his younger brother, former Arizona State University student Max Mendoza, who was on a trip to Brazil, to make sure he was fine.

There was no response. Within an hour, a friend of his brother called and told him Max was dead.

"My first reaction was to cry, I couldn't believe it. I felt powerless," said Linare, 35. "But then I started getting stronger because I had to be strong for my mother and my stepfather."

Mendoza's friends and family members have raised more than $27,000 for funeral and memorial services planned for early August, even as they struggle to understand how the charismatic 25-year-old so suddenly lost his life.

When Linare called the consulate, he received confirmation of his brother's death. While hiking with two friends in the Tijuca forest in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, Mendoza had slipped and fallen. Mendoza initially seemed fine, but he began to lose orientation and later died in a friend's arms, according to his family.

Mendoza, a Yuma native, was identified by the contents in his backpack, which included his passport and Arizona State University ID.

Mendoza's family has planned a caravan from Phoenix to Yuma on Aug. 2, ending with a funeral and homage for Mendoza at the Yuma Civic Center. The burial ceremony will be held on Aug. 3 at the Desert Lawn Memorial Park in Yuma.

Linare started a GoFundMe account on Saturday to raise $20,000 to transport Mendoza's remains from Brazil to the United States and cover funeral expenses in Arizona, according to the site. In an hour, the Mendoza family raised over $2,000. They've since raised over $27,000.

Extra funds will be placed in "A life to the Max" memorial account and his family hopes to create a foundation in Mendoza's honor.

"Max invested in people and people are now investing in him," Linare said. "That's what he teaches all of us,that if you take care of others and invest in others, don't worry about anything."

Nick Morgan, 27, met Mendoza five days before they decided to go on a hike together in the Tijuca forest with another friend. The two were staying in a hostel in Rio de Janeiro and Morgan said they hit it off immediately.

Mendoza was eager to share the story about how he got into the World Cup Final, as well as his adventures in Brazil, Morgan said. He also wasn't afraid to share his insecurities and fears, Morgan added.

"Max had an incredible capacity to listen to others, understand them and build meaningful relationships," said Morgan, who is still in Brazil but plans to return for the funeral. "Life and love radiated from his personality."

Mendoza, who was born in Ukiah, California, was special from the start, according to his mother, Lupita De La Herran, a Yuma resident. He would wake his mother with breakfast in bed on her birthday and in every photo he had a smile on his face, she said.

"He was someone filled with light and love," she said.

In everything he did, he gave the best and more, said his father, Max Mendoza Sr., a Yuma resident. He never had to push his son, Mendoza always thrived on his own.

"I believe that my son is the kind of person that is not going to die for a long period of time. He will be an inspiration," Mendoza Sr. said. "I can bury him, but his spirit won't die. He will be in my heart all the time."

When he was younger, Mendoza lived in Mexico for a few years, before moving to Yuma, where he spent most of his life. He attended ASU, where he co-founded the university Undie Run in 2008 and Collegetown ASU, an annual leadership conference. He graduated with his bachelors in marketing and sociology.

De La Herran described her son as a mentor, adventurer and avid learner. When Max purchased a one-way ticket to Brazil, all his mom asked him was that he return in time for his brother's wedding in March, where he was supposed to be the best man. He assured her he would.

While boarding his flight to Brazil, a country he had wanted to visit since he was 15, he made sure to call and say goodbye. In his last email, he sent his family a picture of himself holding a Mexican flag in front of the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

"He wanted to change the world. He had so many dreams and light to give," De La Herran said. "But he's alive in my heart and in everyone's."